Why do you think people join the military?
Why do you think people join the military?
I'll post my opinion in a bit, also my opinion is coming from the reason I plan on joining so yeah.
Alright after reading what some people wrote, it saddens me to believe that some people think that people only join because they are going no where in life.
Anyways the reason for me joining(Marines btw) is in order to serve the community, it's a life time experience that many can't say they have, it's fighting with the people next to you, the brotherhood that you form, the experience of traveling the world, and to help pay for college. I'm perfectly capable of going to college right away and get a degree in computer programming, but I choose not to and instead join the Marines. The military is really not for just idiots, even though some are*cough* army *cough* I'm graduating with over a 3.5 gpa with being in multiple AP and honor classes...yeah I didn't try very hard to keep my grades up.
53 Comments • Newest first
[quote=blackhawk661]Guys not everyone who joins are low lives with little education...and yes many people do join for the benefits and the pride/honor that comes with it.[/quote]
Yepp this,
Over half of our presidents served in the military guys.
Some of them want to protect their country and love it so much that they join
I wouldn't really disrespect anyone in the military because they're the ones fighting in some way to keep us as safe as possible
Though somethings I wouldn't really agree with I'm not one to judge what they're doing.
[quote=weedalin]You totally dropped the ball on this one. [b]Skratos's point was never that soldiers shouldn't be given respect[/b]; he was just frustrated with the fact that people at once give so much respect to the military and give so much disrespect to a profession he feels is just as deserving of respect. Whether his point is valid isn't exactly my concern; what I am concerned with is that you're so grossly misinterpreting what he said.[/quote]
Don't waste our time by responding if you haven't even read the full thread. Just a few pages back he said exactly that.
[quote=Skrato]@darkfuzion: You didn't read my post, did you? [b]The entire thing was saying it's wrong that soldiers get gratitude.[/b][/quote]
Anyways,
[quote=Skrato]@VisualZ: You don't understand at all. I'm addressing the double standard in society's thought. I'll say again that I have nothing at all against the military. I used doctors as an example because I have seen how they are treated on my work experience - it would be just as valid if I used another example. I also don't think the soldier's job is as difficult as you seem to think. I've given my reasons for this and don't want to again. I'm not disrespecting soldiers. The mortality of soldiers is lower than the mortality from driving on a highway.
If the original excuse for war was weapons of mass destruction, why have forces not left yet? Obviously there are other reasons. If what I say is incorrect, the only truth is that there's more than is apparent from the media. I don't read conspiracy theory, and I think I know enough facts about the war, thanks very much.
Thank you so much @weedalin: for the post. Nobody yet has actually realised that was exactly what I was trying to say.[/quote]
I like how somehow, every single person, has 'miraculously' misinterpreted Skrato's post in this thread.. Wait, no, not really, because most haven't.
*Double standards exist and have always existed. Certain jobs will be held in higher regard to others just because that's how society is. You can argue that a McDonalds worker is just as purposeful as a military soldier and should be treated with the same respect, but that won't change much if anything at all. As they say in Animal Farm, "All animals are equal, some are just more equal than others". And if you think people in the military are safe from being disrespected, you're naive. Take a look at the soldiers who served in the Vietnam War and how they were treated on their return to the United States.
*Stop trying to demonize the US and the US Military alone. All of your posts have been focused on only the US Armed Forces. If you were even slightly educated on what you were slandering so openly you'd know very well that your own country along with several others are also a part of the wars in The Middle East. The UK is allianced with our military and is doing just as much to take over, damage, and kill as we are and even working with us to do such things.
@VisualZ: You don't understand at all. I'm addressing the double standard in society's thought. I'll say again that I have nothing at all against the military. I used doctors as an example because I have seen how they are treated on my work experience - it would be just as valid if I used another example. I also don't think the soldier's job is as difficult as you seem to think. I've given my reasons for this and don't want to again. I'm not disrespecting soldiers. The mortality of soldiers is lower than the mortality from driving on a highway.
If the original excuse for war was weapons of mass destruction, why have forces not left yet? Obviously there are other reasons. If what I say is incorrect, the only truth is that there's more than is apparent from the media. I don't read conspiracy theory, and I think I know enough facts about the war, thanks very much.
Thank you so much @weedalin: for the post. Nobody yet has actually realised that was exactly what I was trying to say.
[quote=weedalin]Skratos's point was never that soldiers shouldn't be given respect; he was just frustrated with the fact that people at once give so much respect to the military and give so much disrespect to a profession he feels is just as deserving of respect. Whether his point is valid isn't exactly my concern; what I am concerned with is that you're so grossly misinterpreting what he said.[/quote]
@VisualZ: I said nothing of the sort. As I've already said, my original post was commenting on the double standard. I have utmost respect for the military seeing as multiple people I know want to join the British military, and I had ideas of serving as a medic at some point. You, and a lot of people in this topic, are merely seeing a shred of reasoning saying "Hey, there are [b]other[/b] people deserving of attention and praise in our society beside the military!" and your response is to assume I'm suddenly disrespecting your country / army. That's EXACTLY the double standard and blinkered thinking I dislike in modern society.
"That's because the new generation of liberal hipsters is so anti-war and anti-violence, that they never sit down and think of what would happen if we didn't have military to protect us. Killing is unfortunate, but it is a cost of war- and wars are started to protect the safety of the people. Whether the ignorant children believe it or not, we're fighting the war in Iraq to preserve our safety and the safety of the Iraqi people. Until you've been in a warzone and had to make decisions for your safety or the safety of those around you, never judge the actions made by soldiers. People can be so ignorant"
You think the Iraq war is to preserve American safety? The original reasoning for entering Iraq was to "find weapons of mass destruction". Did they find any? No. The origin of the war was to preserve American political and financial interests.
How is it even possible to go nowhere in life?
@omgShaye: Your misunderstanding of my intentions, as you outlined in your first response, is nothing to do with what I asked.
They go for the benefits and sometimes because of tradition ( or even "honor" )
I live in a place where all the white people are usually from Texas or Virginia and a lot of them want to join the military because their father and grandpa were in it.
@omgShaye: I agree. However the ignorance doesn't come from myself.
What exactly is wrong with my post? All I say in my post is that there's a social double-standard attitude which I think is harmful.
@VisualZ: I don't know where you got that from. Did you read my post at all? I say nothing about the military being a "joke". I am commenting only on a double standard in society's attitude.
I'm not even liberal.
for the money
The people I've met on Maple that join the military have all said something about money and benefits.
@primalfurey: Fine points, if only that kind of activity was common in the military. Unfortunately for you, modern warfare is not like that at all. Take Afghanistan for example. The war is fought through resilience and tactics, politics and the threat of weaponry, not ambushes and night-time "priority missions". Soldiers in Afghanistan rarely have conflicts and most of their time is spent patrolling and making their presence known to civilians. Seriously, have you played too much CoD? There's a reason mortality in the military is so low.
May I suggest it is in fact not me who is "spout"ing "ignorant bullcrap" and has "no clue".
@blackhawk661: Let's address this point-by-point - but I'll start with a foreshadowing statement that your post is a prime example of exactly what I was saying in my own post.
1) "You think doctors work under more stressful situations than people in the military"
Frankly yes. Doing open-heart surgery for hours on end with a likelihood of mortality for the patient is far more stressful than, for example, patrolling in Afghanistan alongside a couple of buddies, with a low soldier death rate and few skirmishes.
2) "work longer and more tiring nights than people in the military"
Obviously. Modern soldiers are occupying other countries (and let's not even get STARTED on the morality of that) to try and "improve" their lifestyle. Obviously the majority of their work takes place during the day when the civilians are awake. For the night shifts, few soldiers are needed to be awake so shifts will be short, uncommon and uneventful. On the other hand, doctors work long night shifts, dealing with hugely life-threatening injuries, doing rounds of dozens of patients, for every patient needing to uphold their Hippocratic duty and access 8 years or more of training immediately, when one small mistake can cause death, working all night.
3) "get more criticism than the people in the military"
By a huge amount. Any criticism of the military goes towards the leaders who make the bad decisions, not the troops who follow the orders (and, again, let's not get started on the use of that excuse). Troops are given huge respect by civilians, et cetera, for killing people. Doctors are personally criticised, abused, told how to do their jobs by laymen, and so on.
Now, I don't know how you got this idea that I'm being "completely hypocritical" from my post - do you even know what that word means? "Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have." Try again? Also, "ignorant" applies to yourself, not to me, since you really have no idea about the medical profession or its difficulties in relation to the military.
Let's get back onto my original idea about your post being an example of what I'm trying to say in my original post. I was saying that it's horrible that civilians treat people in the military so graciously when other people in society who do as much useful work and possibly more are given mostly abuse, or at least far less praise. Then you come along and say "blah de blah de blah military is hard blah blah doctors don't work blah". Prime example of the shallow, easily manipulated mindset causing people to make this dreadful error in the first place.
Also, I just want to make something clear to you that you obviously didn't understand. I am in no way saying that people in the military do no work. Hell, I wouldn't want to say that seeing as multiple people I know want to join the British Military. The work the military do is beyond me in a physical and emotional sense. Nowhere in my post did I say that I have something against soldiers. All I was saying is that there's a social double-standard caused by the culture we live in, which I view as irresponsible. Incidentally the way you interpreted hostility from my post highlights this double-standard even more.
[quote=rage797]The chances of dying in war are lower than the chance of dying everytime you drive on the highway.[/quote]
This is true, my uncle(pilots blackhawks) has said it many times.
[quote=CrownedSorrow]Yep. I think the majority of people in the military have support roles.[/quote]
Yes there are a lot of positions that do not involve combat.
[quote=Telatsu]I'd like to point out that a relatively minute portion of Military personnel will become combatants compared to the standard thought that seems to be circulating in this thread.[/quote]
Yep. I think the majority of people in the military have support roles.
[quote=ATMchoker]it's for wannabe Call of Duty nerds[/quote]
Read my post above yours
To everyone saying video games, care to explain why people joined before video games were even out, and I hardly have played any video games care to explain why that isn't the reason for me.
I'd like to point out that a relatively minute portion of Military personnel will become combatants compared to the standard thought that seems to be circulating in this thread.
@happy3happy:
Age
Citizenship
Number of Dependents
Credit and Finances
Single Parents
Applicants Married to Military Members
Education
Drug/Alcohol Involvement
Criminal History
Sexual Preference
Height/Weight Standards
Medical Physical
Miscellaneous Provisions
All of the above come into play when deciding to accept someone or not.
[quote=blackhawk661]They do not hire anybody, even the army declines people. The Marine Corps kick many people out of boot camp.[/quote]
Other than delinquents, I have never heard of the military turning down somebody.
@darkfuzion: You didn't read my post, did you? The entire thing was saying it's wrong that soldiers get gratitude.
During WWI and II, you were promised prostitutes and a full month of relaxation after 1 year.
@TheOrange: It's part of the job doesn't mean you enjoy it; you just have to do it, and as stated before not every job in the military involves killing someone.
@introgreen Once you're 18 you can join with out your parents consent and there's nothing they can do to stop you from joining after that.
uhm imo it would be for the amazing benefits it gives, you get paid while doing it , and get free university education
The benefits are absolutely unreal. Certain military programs in Canada (namely ROTP, which is good but not nearly as good as what the US spoils their boys with) allow you to go into a civilian university and have your tuition completely paid for, while getting paid for being in school. You serve 2 months for every 1 month you're in school after that... as an officer. Hell, that's damn good to me. And you know what? After 20 years of service you get an incredible pension... absolutely unreal, like I said. You get paid what you were earning as a full-time soldier for the rest of your life (or a portion of it... IIRC it's 100% after 25 years of service for sure). Anyway, if you do the math, upon joining the military after you turn 18, you'll be earning double paychecks if you get another job. And you could if you so wish, you can retire by 38. To boot, the training and the experience that governments invest into their soldiers can be invaluable; soldiers are highly sought-after, and officers especially thanks to whatever degree they carry.
Oh, and of course the fact you get deployed and get to travel, the fact that the soldiers have something to be proud of in fighting for a cause they believe in, and the memories can be frickin amazing.
[quote=blackhawk661]@TheOrange: The pride and honor doesn't come from killing people, I don't know why everything thinks that just because someone is in the military they actually enjoy taking someone's life...[/quote]
So the killing part is just on the side?
@TheOrange: The pride and honor doesn't come from killing people, I don't know why everything thinks that just because someone is in the military they actually enjoy taking someone's life...
[quote=blackhawk661]Guys not everyone who joins are low lives with little education...and yes many people do join for the benefits and the pride/honor that comes with it.[/quote]
I honestly don't understand how killing people gives you pride and honor.
From what I've seen from friends, people join for the experience, to get help paying for school, wanting to fight terrorists, etc. I know a guy who decided to join the Marines right after 9/11 happened and we were like 11 yrs old back then.
[quote=Wallflowers]Because they want to? Plus I guess there's benefits too. My friend told me that they spoil people in the Air Force but you have to be really smart to join. As for Navy Seals, you have to be really smart and physically fit too. And for the Marines as well! I heard the Army has the least benefits. That's what my friend told me though.
I don't think there's any problems with joining the military. Not everyone who joins is dumb..[/quote]
Your friend would be correct
Well I'm glad to see that not everyone on this site is ignorant.
In my opinion, it's either the financial incentives, some people want to support their country, or they're looking for adventure.
It seriously annoys me the stupidity of people on this site, not everyone joins because they did bad in high school. Officer positions actually require a bachelors degree.
[quote=happy3happy]The only difference that the military offers from alternative jobs:
1. hires anybody
2. put in situations where the probability of death is substantial[/quote]
They do not hire anybody, even the army declines people. The Marine Corps kick many people out of boot camp.
[quote=coolfire]This. Honestly 3.5 GPA is crap.
And your reason is pretty crappy too IMO...
Sorry TS If I offend you but its truth.[/quote]
Lol sorry if school isn't my life, I can still get into plenty of colleges with it. Honestly I could care less if you think my reasons are crap, so no you didn't offend me.
I'm glad to see that some people still have respect and can actually understand why people join, and that it's not because they can't go to college.
@Skeleton0117 I'll be going to Parris Island.
The only difference that the military offers from alternative jobs:
1. hires anybody
2. put in situations where the probability of death is substantial
@arlongpark: Physical stress isn't what I was referring to. That would be obvious from reading my post.
Let's not sugar-coat the military. The basic, underlying principle of the American Military is to kill anyone who threatens your country. And to add insult to injury, you go and kill people who aren't threatening your country, just because you don't like their political regime. Overthrowing an oppressive leader is one thing, and it can seem very moral until you realise it was really done out of self-interest, not empathy for people under the regime.
If you give gratitude to doctors, you are one of the rare few. I've shadowed doctors on work experience, and they are normally met with abuse, slander, often violence. I'm also writing this from a country with national healthcare (UK).
[quote=Skrato]This post makes me a little angry. Why is it that people who dedicate their careers towards killing other people get such gratitude from other civilians, while a doctor who trained professionally for 8 years, did night shifts to the point of exhaustion, worked under (often) conditions as stressful or more stressful than the military ever work under, gets mostly abuse and criticism from the very people whose lives they save? Which job seems more worthy of gratitude: forcing one country's political ideals on the world via force, or working to extend people's lives and ease suffering? Even medics in the army suddenly get a host of thanks and gratitude simply be being associated with the horrible acts the American Army undergo. It's an injustice and shows how weak-minded and ignorant people really are.[/quote]
you think military training isnt stressful? you have no idea how hard training is. i dont either but ive had friends who have and said it was unbearable. also being in the military isnt about killing people, its about protecting the country and most of the time you wont be firing your gun. and how do doctors get no gratitude. you think a doctor that saved someone life gets no word from the patiants? ive been hospitalized a few times and i was nearly crying and wanted to hug him (couldnt though cuz my arm was broken) when he said id be all better but i have free health care where i live so maybe doctors dont get much credit in the states. and lastly military in usa isnt the same in every country although i do agree that usa tries to push their beliefs to other countries
Special treatment from the government?
Patriotism?
To fight for your country?
To join your friends?
To have further experience in life?
Nowadays you get only minorities and the poor serving in the military. The rich usually don't. Joining the military is just for benefits - money, insurance, etc.
There's too many reasons to really say why. Some of these posts disgust me.
lol at people who think people join the forces cuz they got no talent or purpose in life. yea it takes no talent to train your body for combat or learn fighting skills or marksmanship or piloting. /sarcasm. only nerds that think school is everything say that
i hope on joining the marines soon. i haven't got my mindset right though, since i'm still undecided.
I'd assume the benefits.
And lmao @ people who think everyone in the military are idiots... lmao indeed.
This is why I continue to wonder why I'm still on this website.
Kill yourself for America. Get moneys.
money or parents or the adrenaline rush or can't find a job
[quote=PlasmaCutter]military is like a FPS but with HD graphics[/quote]
Not even close
Guys not everyone who joins are low lives with little education...and yes many people do join for the benefits and the pride/honor that comes with it.